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Illinois – allowed marijuana usage and limitations

Since 2013, marijuana has been legal in Illinois, at least for the patients who have had the misfortune of being diagnosed with a serious illness. If you get the blessing of your physician, the medical marijuana card you receive will allow you legal access to weed for about 1 to 3 years.

This means that if you have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, cancer, hepatitis C, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, lupus, or any similarly serious condition, you more than likely qualify. The list mostly includes physical conditions, but for the last couple of years, even certain psychological ailments have counted towards the criteria checklist, with PTSD being one of them.

According to the Illinois law, trafficking, sale, possession, or cultivation of weed is considered a crime. With that being said, the punishment is a little bit more lenient if you’re only caught with a smaller quantity of it. For example, carrying 10 grams or less means you’re only going to have to pay a fine of around $100 to $200; you won’t be arrested. Such an event won’t even show up in your criminal history.

However, should you be caught with more than that, you could potentially have to pay up to $2,500 and serve up to one year in jail. This is true if you’re a first-time offender – any more than that, and the penalty could easily be extended up to 6 years. The more you’re carrying, the greater the risk. For example, if you’re carrying more than 5000g and you’re found guilty of drug trafficking, you could potentially be required to serve up to 60 years in prison.

To clarify, even though recreational marijuana usage is forbidden in Illinois, medical marijuana usage is an entirely different story. Unfortunately, only the citizens of Illinois can receive a medical marijuana card, and – to make matters a bit more complicated – the state does not honor the ones issued outside its borders.

In case they approve you and you’ve already received one, congratulations! All that is left to do is choose from one of the officially approved medical marijuana dispensaries. You’ll be making all of your marijuana-related purchases there. The exact details of your condition will determine the types of marijuana products you’re allowed to buy. As for the price, this depends on the quality of the product you’re interested in. Typically, you can expect to pay anywhere from $8 to $30 per gram.

Even with a medical marijuana card, you still won’t be able to smoke weed to your heart’s content, as there are certain limitations. In concrete terms, you’re only allowed to pick up 2.5 ounces of weed every 14 days. Also, be careful to consume all of marijuana you receive while in Illinois – you’re not allowed to take it across the state lines. In fact, attempting to do so is a federal crime.

In practice, you’re only allowed to consume marijuana in the comfort and safety of your own home while in Illinois. Don’t even think about trying to do it in public if you want to stay out of trouble, and the same goes for operating a vehicle as long as you’re under its influence.